Braskem, Brazil’s leading petrochemical company, has organized successfully the Braskem GP Recycling Campaign to encourage citizens of São Paulo to dispose of their plastic waste at special collection points.

Conducted between November 4 and 28 in five parks in different regions of the city during the three-day-long Brazilian leg of the Formula 1 championship, the campaign collected a total of 13.5 tons of plastic waste.

In return for this positive gesture of citizenship and respect for the environment, the city of São Paulo will receive 500 items of urban furniture, including benches, flower beds and garbage cans. Plásticos Suzuki will be responsible for manufacturing the recycled plastic benches that will be donated by Braskem to the São Paulo Municipal Government on the city’s anniversary on January 25, 2011.

A partnership between Braskem, the São Paulo Municipal Government and Plastivida, the campaign also involved five cooperatives, which sorted the material collected and weighed the plastic waste: Cooperativa da Capela do Socorro, Corpore Centro, União de Itaquera, Central do Tietê and Coperviva Bem, each of which were responsible for the garbage collected in their respective regions. Coopercaps, another cooperative, was responsible for collecting the waste disposed of at the Interlagos Formula 1 track.

Formula 1 GP – The Braskem GP Recycling campaign, featuring legendary Brazilian racing driver Emerson Fittipaldi as spokesperson, received widespread publicity during the Brazilian leg of the Formula 1 championship, held at Interlagos on November 5, 6 and 7, during which Braskem and Plásticos Suzuki demonstrated a mini recycling plant.